Diktatorisissa ja totalitaristisissa järjestelmissä kiinnitetään erityisen paljon huomiota menneisyyttä koskevan tiedon kontrolloimiseen. Tyypillisesti valtiovalta silloin valvoo ja ohjeistaa tarkasti, mitä asioita historiasta saa käsitellä ja miten käsittely on tehtävä. Historiantutkimus ja -opetus hyvin pitkälle alistetaan palvelemaan valtiovallan valitsemia yhteiskunnallisia tavoitteita ja määrätään tuottamaan tuloksia, jotka tukevat etukäteen päätettyjä "totuuksia", virallista tulkintaa menneisyydestä. Neuvostoliiton historiankirjoitus kokonaisuudessaan on malliesimerkki tällaisesta toimintatavasta.%The book Kodu lugu (I-II) started a new era in Estonian historiography. It was the first history book published in Estonia since the Second World War in which the Estonian nationalist approach could be presented. The main idea was to construct a picture of the unified Estonian nation that was defined by language and culture and who had strived for sovereignty throughout their history. In practice, the authors suggested that love for freedom, heroism and an exceptional ability to adapt to all kind of changing circumstances were the cornerstones of Estonian identity. The fact that the Estonians were struggling for independence at the end of the 1980s is clearly reflected in the contents and tone of the book. It can be assumed that one practical aim behind the publishing of the book was to encourage Estonians towards greater support for the independence movement. As Russia was perceived as by far the most severe threat to Estonian national existence now, in the past and in the future, the authors selected and emphasized a number of related issues. Their interpretation was that Estonians had almost nothing in common with Russians and to continue living as a part of the Russian empire was not an option for Estonians.
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